Global automotive electronics market poised for growth

Editor: Staff Editor

The global market for automotive electronics is set to rise to $240 billion in 2020, up more than 50 percent from $157 billion in 2010, driven to new levels of prominence by government and automaker safety initiatives, according to IHS.

“The massive growth of automotive electronics in the space of a decade reflects the field’s rising importance to the car industry at large, especially as original equipment manufacturers ratify in-vehicle electronics to be an essential selling feature for an automobile,” said, Ben Scott, automotive analyst for IHS.

Government safety mandates represent a major factor driving the growth of automotive electronics revenue. Here legislated systems including electronic stability control (ESC) and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) come into play, both of which require significant electronic content.

Also serving as an engine of market growth is the effort among automakers to add advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Such mechanisms can enhance car safety, a key selling point. Illustrative of its promise and potential, the ADAS electronics market is estimated to almost triple from 2010 through 2020.

“ADAS features are finding their way into more and more vehicles,” Scott said. “The integration of ADAS into the instrument cluster and head up display (HUD) is expected to be commonplace in the future.”

In particular, instrument clusters are becoming more advanced, featuring at least one LCD display and allowing ADAS features to be exhibited. For their part, head up displays represent an ideal way to deliver ADAS information, showing data directly in the driver’s field of view.

HUDs with ADAS are now available as a feature in the premium D and E car segments, and are also expected to gain a strong presence in the C-segment of affordable small family cars within the next five years.

Combiner displays are likely to drive the growth of the automotive HUD segment, as they eliminate the development costs associated with windscreen displays. The combiner is an angled flat piece of glass located in front of the viewer that redirects an image from a projector in such a way for the field of view and the projected image to be seen at the same time.

Caution should still be exercised while using the feature as it relates to the amount of information displayed on the HUD: If too much information appears, the display could become a distraction, transforming from a safety feature into a safety concern instead.

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